What is the Difference Between Biosphere and Ecosphere?

What is the Difference Between Biosphere and Ecosphere? Explain the difference between Biosphere, Ecosphere and Gaia and argue a case for adopting one of these descriptors for discussions of the earth Biosphere, Ecosphere and Gaia are used names of the global ecosystem. But each global ecosystem has its own or more meaning individually. The global ecosystem is natural cycles of interdependent organisms which shares and functions together in the same habitat. Ecosystems usually form a number of food webs. (Robert W. Christopherson 1996). Ecosystems relate to soil, plants, animals, chemicals and rocks amongst others of the planet. For example when we think of nature we think of living things such as planets and animals, the biotic components of an ecosystem include all the living things in an area. Biosphere â€Å"the place on earths surface where life dwells†. (Seuss E. 1875) Biosphere is a biological global sum of all ecosystems and life on earth which integrates all living things together from the beginning of time on earth evolving over billions of years. Estimated 3.5 billion years ago. (Campbell, Neil A. Brad Williamson, Robin J. Heyden 2006). The Biosphere originated from a geologist called Eduard Suess in 1875 but the concept wasnt really adapted until Vladimir Vernadsky in 1926 wrote the book the biosphere redefining biosphere as a current earth system this is a main core of ecology. The biosphere exchanges matter and energy with the other spheres, helping the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and along with other elements. This could be or is the reason why the biosphere is known as the global ecosystem, comprising the earth and performing all manner of biological functions, including photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, nitrogen fixation and gentrification. Gaia â€Å"The earth is more than just a home, its a living system and we are part of it.† (James Lovelock) is simply the core of James Lovelocks Gaia theory, also known as the Gaia hypothesis. It was originally proposed in 1963 by James Lovelock. While the name Gaia comes from a Greek goddess of earth it is mainly a similar take on the biosphere with the same components but proposed as viewing the earth as a single organism. James Lovelock said that Gaia was â€Å"a complex entity involving the Earths biosphere, atmosphere, oceans, and soil; the totality constituting a feedback or cybernetic system which seeks an optimal physical and chemical environment for life on this planet† (James Lovelock 1979). The Gaia hypothesis states that the earth is alive, the search for life on mars led to lovelocks belief in the existence of Gaia. While we know theres no life on mars or Venus, lovelock compared it with the earths atmosphere which is a mixture of gases making life presen t, while earths gas is not the same but is contained in a constant state suggesting a regulation of the whole system on earth for example the climate, ocean and air are a self regulated process. While James Lovelocks theory wasnt totally accepted it is one looked over by scientists with mixed questioning critically whilst criticize by others. While Biosphere is known to serve at high levels of scientific research and being a core factor in within biology and ecology using remote sensing systems to scan the entire earths surface. Future of Healthcare Technology: PACS Future of Healthcare Technology: PACS PACS is the healthcare technology of the future. â€Å"A picture archiving and communication system (PACS) is a computerized means of replacing the role of conventional radiological film: images are acquired, stored, transmitted, and displayed digitally.† PACS is not just used in the radiology department it can be used all over the hospital in any location, anytime, anywhere and even be used with other hospitals, between different physicians. There are advantages and disadvantages to choosing to use the PACS system. There are other technologies that have a dramatic impact on the delivery of patient care as well these technology along with the PACS system make healthcare better. One of the biggest advantages to using the PACS system is the fact that everything is done digitally. In my research I have found several reasons that hospitals should chose PACS to operate there radiology department as well as all the other areas in the hospital. In several articles it has stated that the use of PACS main advantage is â€Å"the improvement in efficiency.† PACS has been proven to decrease medical errors due to the fact â€Å"once an image has been acquired onto PACS it cannot be lost, stolen, or misfiled.† The PACS system also allows images to be available anywhere in the hospital whereas conventional film can only physically exist in one place at any one time. With the PACS system the physician can compare images at the same time. If an image is too dark or too light before you would have to retake the x-ray but with the PACS system you can adjust these things on the computer. Physician can also take an image from ten years ago and put it into the PACS system and compare it with the most recent image. Things like this can really help with diagnosis and treatment of patients. PACS also helps patient care be quicker because the physician can view the images anytime and anywhere in the hospital. For example if a patient is have trouble in the ICU the physician can view any images necessary to help treat the patient without leaving the ICU area therefore if the physician is needed he/she is right there. These images are available to all the members of the care team not just the physician. PACS system has been proven to save lives as well as lower medical errors. I read an article that stated â€Å"when the PACS system is fully utilized, the technology can play a significant role in reducing the potential for error by eliminating steps in the distribution and management of images and associated patient information across the enterprise. PACS system also allows hospital staff and physicians can schedule and order exams, update patient information across an enterprise, provide information and images to physicians at the point of care, and provide diagnostic tools, features, and functionality to ensure the highest quality of interpretation and diagnosis. Currently 20% of films are missing when needed. This wouldnt happen if they were using the PACS system. â€Å"All images in the PACS database are automatically grouped into the correct examination, are Chronologically ordered, correctly oriented and labeled, and can be easily retrieved which is not necessarily the case without the PACS system.† The pediatrics and neonatal unit were among the first clinical specialties to start using the PACS system. Radiographic images play a big role in these departments. Time is very crucial in these units so it is a great advantage that you dont have to go to the radiology department to retrieve these images. This is one good example how the PACS system can save lives and why the hospital should be using this system. There are some disadvantages to the PACS system as well as with any system that you may choose to use. One disadvantage to the PACS system is cost of installing the PACS system in the hospital setting. In the year 1999 the cost of intalling the PACS system was one to two million dollars with a six percent annual maintenance. Studies have shown that PACS would pay for itself in five years. Another disadvantage is once you have gone filmless there is risk that the PACS system could have a system failure with this in mind as long as the data is backed up daily. One other potential problem of PACS is that the staff may not have the knowledge to be able to use the PACS system. In my research I found that when the PACS system is used along with the EMR and the CPOE there is a dramatic impact on patient care. The EMR is where all medical records, including all of patient images, pathology, surgical results and history are done and stored electronically. The CPOE is where the physicians use computers to due order entry. â€Å"Each of these things in isolation helps somewhat with patient care but when the three are used together the results are much greater. In Conclusion, healthcare technology is going to computerization and there is no stopping it. We are in an era where computers are an important part of daily life not just in the healthcare field. Learning how to use computers and there software is crucial for survival. In this paper I talked about one of the most rapidly growing systems in healthcare the PACS system. PACS is the healthcare technology of the future. â€Å"A picture archiving and communication system (PACS) is a computerized means of replacing the role of conventional radiological film: images are acquired, stored, transmitted, and displayed digitally.† PACS is not just used in the radiology department it can be used all over the hospital in any location, anytime, anywhere and even be used with other hospitals, between different physicians. I also talked about the advantages and disadvantages of the PACS system as well as other systems that work along with the PACS System. References: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1718393/pdf/v083p00082.pdf http://www.psqh.com/janfeb05/pacs.html http://www.medicexchange.com/PACS/going-filmless-intro-to-pacs-pa..

Influential Thinkers In Enlightenment

Influential Thinkers In Enlightenment The most significant development in the 18th century was intellectual progress, known as the Enlightenment. It is a thought movement which gathered various conceptions of god, nature and human beings to a kind of world outlook. Many people approve it. The movement caused revolution changes in art, philosophy and politics. It also advocated reason, suspected church authorities and Feudalism. The ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers had a deeply impact on the European and the Euro-American societies. The most important factor of the Enlightenment was the scientific revolution. Between the 17th century and the 18th century, based on direct observation and mathematical reasoning, astronomers and physicists saw the earth and the universe in a new vision. Relying on observation and mathematics, scholars transformed the natural science in a process which is known as the scientific revolution. Some astronomers and mathematicians also made contribution to the revolution. Ptolemy wrote a book known as the Almagest that combined opinions about the universe. He thought that the earth was at its centre. However, in 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus published a treatise On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres that broke with Ptolemaic theory and argued that the sun stood at the centre of the universe. Kepler demonstrated that planetary orbits are elliptical. Gailleo who invented the telescope used it to view the universe. He popularized the idea that the universe is rational and subject to the laws of mathematics (Bentley, 2002). Another powerful figure was Isaac Newton who culminated the new approach to science. He combined mathematical modeling and scientific observation to derive his famous laws of motion and theory of universal gravitation. Newtons vision of the universe was so powerful and persuasive that its influence extended well beyond science. His work suggested that rational analysis of human behavior and institutions could lead to fresh insights about the human as well as the natural world (Bentley, 2002). Inspired and supported by three innovative astronomers, physicists and mathematicians. European and Euro-American thinkers started an ambitious project to transform all human thought. They abandoned Aristotelian philosophy, Christian religion, and other traditionally recognized authorities, and they began to analyze the world where they live in a rational way. Enlightenment thinkers sought to discover natural laws that governed human society. John Lock, the English philosopher, is the founder of empiricis. He sought to identify the principles of psychology and argued that all human knowledge comes from sense perceptions. He threw away Rene Descartess innate ideas and argued that experience offered spiritual conception to humans heart. He believed the world is consisted of material. His empiricism was continuously developed by later people and became the European main philosophy trend. In politics, he held constitutional monarchy and natural right which includes life, freedom and prop erty right. Between 1689 and 1690 he wrote the most important political treatises The Government. In the first treatise, he disproved Filmers idea that god conferred the monarch authority. In the second treatise, he advocated the rulers authorities should be agreed by the ruled and the only purpose of building country is protecting the security and peoples right. When the government went against the purpose, people have the right to take back the authority by taking action (John Locke, 2010). The Scottish philosopher Adam Smith devoted special thought to the nature of early capitalist society and the principles that made it work. In 1776 he published a lengthy book An inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, a wide-ranging work that uphold free, unregulated markets and capitalist corporation as the main factor of prosperity. The source of Smiths optimism about capitalism is his conviction that society as a whole benefits when individuals pursue their own economic interests and trade on a free market (Bentley, 2002). France , the center of the Enlightenment, produced many prominent intellectuals known as philosophes who advanced the cause of reason. For example, the French nobleman Charles Louis sought to establish a science of politics and discover principles that would promote political liberty in a prosperous and stable state. Different from philophers, philosophes addressed their works more to the educated public than to scholars. Instead of formal philosophical treatises, they mostly composed histories, novels, dramas, satires, and pamphlets on religious, moral, and political issues. The leader of the Enlightenment is Voltaire who is a philosophe, a writer and a philosopher. Voltaire championed individual freedom and attacked oppressive policies with encouraged witty remark and intense irony. He held nature right and thought that people are equal in nature and before the law. He also waged a long literary campaign against the Roman Catholic church, which he is in the charge of crazy, intolerance and incalculable human suffering. He considered that the church is a factor of oppression (Voltaire, 2010). As the earlier famous philosophe, Hobbes created machine materialism. He thought that the universe consisted of all the moving extension object. He tried hard to explain humans emotion and desire by the principle of mechanical motion. His moral thought includes natural rights and natural laws. The former one means that humans natural character is egoism. The latter means that humans reason rules morality. He disproved the idea that god confers the authority to rulers. He advocated absolute monarchy. He also considered that society had to follow the general will (Hobbes, 2010). As one of the representative of the Enlightenment, Rousseau is a radical who made the most fierce and severe criticize on French feudal society. His ideological essence and basic principle is sovereignty of the people. He considered that all rights belongs to people, government and officials are appointed by people, people have the right to appoint the government, people have the right to replace them, even have the right to revolt in order to abolish rulers who oppress people. He also thought that citizens should observe the law because it is free behaviour. In education, he proposed the idea return to nature that let childrens body freely develop (Rousseau, 2010). Although Enlightenment thinkers reached common ground on the excellence and the effect of humans reason, yet they hold different opinions on detailed issues in politics, religion, philosophy and so on. In politics, Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire and Hobbes all supported with natural rights. Locke and Hobbess nature rights includes life right, freedom right and property right, they thought that people have the right to gain legal property; however, Voltaire thought that the unequal property right can not be avoided and Hobbes thought that natural rights is egoism. Locke and Hobbes both objected to innate ideas and Voltaire and Rousseau both approved with innate ideas. Locke and Rousseau advocated revolutionary legitimacy. But Hobbes insisted on the opinion that people must obey if the ruler was conferred authority. Locke, Voltaire and Rousseau all advocated freedom and equality. Rousseau considered that the law is very important, people should accept it. Hobbes and Voltaire did not agree w ith division of power. Voltaire thought that rulers power came from the ruled, the only purpose of building country is protecting the security and peoples right, when the government went against the purpose, people have the right to take back the authority by taking action. But Locke advocated distribution of power. Locke, Rousseau and Hobbes all advocated social contract. Rousseau considered private ownership is the source of unequal state. In philosophy, Locke and Voltaire both admitted the idea that the world is consisted of material. Rousseau and Voltaire both considered that acknowledge rose from experience. Locke thought peoples heart was just like a paper and experience offered mind conception to it. Hobbes considered that material can not be separated from idea and material did not rely on our thought. In religion, Voltaire and Rousseau are both deist. Voltaire and Hobbes both disproved religion, they thought religion is requisite to maintain social order. The ideas of these Enlightenment thinkers made a lot of contribution to the community. What worth being mentioned is that their ideas not only exert great influence on the scholars, but also affect the European political world, including the most influential figures at that that time such as Napoleon and Queen Catherine. Influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment, Napoleon who overthrew the Diretory and became a French military dictator created a united legal code for France. The code included that equal before the law, careers open to talent, free belief, protection of private property, abolition of feudalism and a secular state (Napoleon, 2010). Napoleon also valued education. As the most able Russian monarch, Catherine also influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment. She encouraged nobles to travel in Western Europe and building school to educate aristocrats. She often communicated with some philosophes. She regarded herself as an enlightened despot. She limited the punishment s that the nobles inflicted on the serfs. She also abolished the death punishment. But when the thoughts challenged her rule, she began to object to it (Catherine, 2010). Although the ideas were not carried out completely to the end, it also shook some traditional thoughts. The impact of Enlightenment on human history should never be undervalued. It weakened the influence of organized religion. It also encouraged the replacement of Christian values, which had guided Europeans on religion and moral affairs for a very long time. Furthermore, it encouraged political and cultural leaders to rationally analyze the society and intervene actively in the Enlightenment matters for the interests that brought from promoting progress and prosperity. In many ways, the Enlightenment thought continues to influence European and Euro-American societies in the following centuries. Reference List Bentley Jerry H. (2002). Adam Smith on the capitalist market. Traditions Encounters. The McGraw-Hill companies. Retrieved May 22, 2010, from p657 Bentley Jerry H. (2002). The limits of westernization. Traditions Encounters. The McGraw-Hill companies. Retrieved May 22, 2010, from p786 Bentley Jerry H. (2002). Science and enlightenment. Traditions Encounters. The McGraw-Hill companies. Retrieved May 22, 2010, from pp658-662 Hobbes. (2010). Baike baidu. Retrieved May 22 2010, from http:// baike.baidu.com/view/34984. htm Locke, J. (2010). Baike baidu. Retrieved May 22, 2010, from http://baike. baidu.com/view/51406.htm Napoleon. (2010). Baike baidu. Retrieved May 22, 2010, fromhttp://baike.baidu.com/view/4866.htm Rousseau. (2010). Baike baidu. Retrieved May 22, 2010, from http;//baike.baidu com/view/6499.htm Voltaire. (2010). Baike baidu. Retrieved May 22, 2010, from http://baike.baidu.com/view/view/4782.htm

What Bush Really Means Essay -- Essays Papers

What Bush Really Means In light of the destruction of the World Trade Centers in New York, President George W. Bush delivered a speech to the nation on September 20, 2001. He spoke of our losses, our fears, our hope, and our plans for the future. We can use Sam Hamill's "The Necessity to Speak" to better interpret some of our President's ideas. Hamill states, "Nothing will change until we demolish the 'we-and-they' mentality. We are human, and therefore all human concerns are ours" (463). In his speech, President Bush clearly defines who the "we-and-they" are. This war is not Islam vs. the United States of America; it is the entire world, even civilization as we know it, vs. terrorism. In the beginning, Bush recognizes how this great tragedy has, in many ways, brought our country closer together as a whole. People everywhere are coming to the aid of those in need. Jews are working side by side with Christians. Millions are selflessly donating blood to save the lives of others. Men and women of every tongue congregate to offer up prayers of mercy and comfort. "We will not forget South Korean children gathering to pray outside our embassy in Seoul, or the prayers of sympathy offered at a mosque in Cairo. We will not forget moments of silence and days of mourning in Australia and Africa and Latin America" (Bush par. 9). This horrible act of terrorism has even broken the "unbreakable" bond between opposing political parties. "All of America was touched on the evening of the tragedy to see Republicans and Democrats joined together on the steps of this Capitol, singing 'God Bless America'" (Bush par. 6). Our country suffered a tremendous loss on September 20th, but we have grown more as a nation this past mont... ...d disgust that the people who did this to our world must feel towards us. The incredible evil is hard to comprehend. But it is very real, and the fact remains that we must band together as a whole to win this battle. "Perhaps the NATO Charter reflects best the attitude of the world: An attack on one is an attack on all" (Bush par. 36). We, the human race, can overcome this and we will prevail. WORKS CITED Bush, Pres. George W. "President Bush's Speech to the Nation." International Television. The House of Congress. 20 September 2001. Hamill, Sam. "The Necessity to Speak." Writing As Re-Vision: A Student's Anthology. Eds. Beth Alvarado and Barbara Cully. Massachusetts: Simon & Schuster. 1998. 457-464. "Who is Osama Bin Laden?" BBC News 18 September 2001. 15 October 2001 .

Homeless Cafes :: Essays Papers

Homeless Cafes There seems to be a welcome trend unfolding in social services for the homeless. In place of large, impersonal soup kitchens, small cafes are springing up with a philosophy that is all too rare-treat the homeless with respect and dignity, and maybe they'll respond to available services. It began with Cafe 458 in Atlanta in 1988, which since has served as a model for similar cafes across the country. Cafe 458 was founded to serve good meals to small groups of homeless individuals, offer a comprehensive array of services, and empower those who eat at the Cafe. Part of its strategy to empower homeless persons is to treat them with dignity-the staff refer to those who eat there as guests, not clients, food is served on real dishes, artwork adorns the walls, and fresh flowers brighten each table. The Cafe serves only 28 guests at a time, all of whom are referred by area social service agencies. To be referred to the Cafe, clients must not be actively using drugs, have no recent history of violence, and have a strong desire to improve their lives. On the average, guests regularly eat at the Cafe for six months before they are able to find employment and/or housing. Since 1988, Cafe 458 has served only 1,000 people, but the staff considers its small numbers its strength. As Nancy Palchanis, executive director, explains, "It is not a feeding program. It is about empowerment. Soup kitchens feed too many people. Our advantage is in the small size." The small size of Cafe 458, and others like it, is translating into success in the lives of their guests . For example, The Bread and Roses Cafe, run by a social service agency in Venice, California, enrolls some of its clients in a six-week intensive course in restaurant work and 20 hours of on-thejob training. Sixty-seven of the 112 people who have completed the program are now employed by restaurants in the Los Angeles area. Fortunately for some of Chicago's homeless, they too have a similar place to turn-Inspiration Cafe, located in the Uptown community. Since 1991, Inspiration Cafe has served good-tasting and healthy meals to homeless individuals in Uptown and has provided them with a variety of comprehensive services. The Cafe was founded by Lisa Nigro, a former homeless in her community. Nigro began feeding the homeless in Uptown by carting around a red wagon filled with bagels and juice that she would serve to people waiting in lines at local shelters and soup kitchens.

Self-imposed Estrangement in Pauls Case Essay -- Willa Cather

Self-imposed Estrangement in "Paul's Case," by Willa Cather Many times, we try to separate ourselves from the world around us; we distance ourselves from society that gives us life. What is worse, we are voluntarily subjected to the lonesomeness which precedes wallowing in our own self pity. "Paul's Case," in which the theme of the fatal progression of deliberate seclusion presents the major conflict, centers around a young man, in his alienation, suppressing his need for attention and satisfying himself through his own world established through his seclusion. The author, Willa Cather, renders this main theme by her insinuations of the character, by the point of view she chooses to illuminate Paul"'"s characteristics, and by key symbols that contribute to the overall work. The character presented by Cather through Paul, withdraws himself from his environment creating the base for the theme of his progressively intensifying need for distinct separation. The reasons Paul acts the way he does seems two fold. First, the sequence of events could be caused by psychological damage or some mental condition, possibly stemming from his mothers death, which was only alluded to in the story. Paul was a teenager who displayed certain signs of a mental illness. According to The Medical Advisor#, Paul suffers from many of similar symptoms of a narcissist. Although the personality disorder was not diagnosed until 1977, and was not perfected until 1987 and expanded upon in 1994, Cather"'"s character of 1904 embodies many of the symptoms listed. Of those Paul qualifies for are: highly developed sense of self importance, preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, belief that he or she is special, feeling he has the envy of peers... ...in a connection with his mother. This bond further alienates him with the world by association with the departed; his mother is separated by death, thus by professing to the world his connection with his mother brings him one step further from sanity. As he comes to realize that the mere emotional connection with his mother is not enough to isolate him, the flower becomes submersed into a sea of white as it is buried in the snow, and Paul achieves his ultimate escape and suicide creates the desired connection with his mother. Willa Cather, carefully weaving together a deep character to which understanding is complex, an interesting and enlightening twist on the point of view, and multi-dimensional use of symbolic motifs that describe the character"'"s personality and dreams, has created a universal theme of the grave progression of self-imposed estrangement.

Deception Point Page 74

â€Å"Smart people like yourself don't have the luxury of playing stupid, Dr. Harper. You're in trouble, and the senator sent me up here to offer you a deal. The senator's campaign took a huge hit tonight. He's got nothing left to lose, and he's ready to take you down with him if he needs to.† â€Å"What the devil are you talking about?† Gabrielle took a deep breath and made her play. â€Å"You lied in your press conference about the PODS anomaly-detection software. We know that. A lot of people know that. That's not the issue.† Before Harper could open his mouth to argue, Gabrielle steamed onward. â€Å"The senator could blow the whistle on your lies right now, but he's not interested. He's interested in the bigger story. I think you know what I'm talking about.† â€Å"No, I-â€Å" â€Å"Here's the senator's offer. He'll keep his mouth shut about your software lies if you give him the name of the top NASA executive with whom you're embezzling funds.† Chris Harper's eyes seemed to cross for a moment. â€Å"What? I'm not embezzling!† â€Å"I suggest you watch what you say, sir. The senatorial committee has been collecting documentation for months now. Did you really think you two would slip by undetected? Doctoring PODS paperwork and redirecting allocated NASA funds to private accounts? Lying and embezzling can put you in jail, Dr. Harper.† â€Å"I did no such thing!† â€Å"You're saying you didn't lie about PODS?† â€Å"No, I'm saying I bloody well didn't embezzle money!† â€Å"So, you're saying you did lie about PODS.† Harper stared, clearly at a loss for words. â€Å"Forget about the lying,† Gabrielle said, waving it off. â€Å"Senator Sexton is not interested in the issue of your lying in a press conference. We're used to that. You guys found a meteorite, nobody cares how you did it. The issue for him is the embezzlement. He needs to take down someone high in NASA. Just tell him who you're working with, and he'll steer the investigation clear of you entirely. You can make it easy and tell us who the other person is, or the senator will make it ugly and start talking about anomaly-detection software and phony work-arounds.† â€Å"You're bluffing. There are no embezzled funds.† â€Å"You're an awful liar, Dr. Harper. I've seen the documentation. Your name is on all the incriminating paperwork. Over and over.† â€Å"I swear I know nothing about any embezzlement!† Gabrielle let out a disappointed sigh. â€Å"Put yourself in my position, Dr. Harper. I can only draw two conclusions here. Either you're lying to me, the same way you lied in that press conference. Or you're telling the truth, and someone powerful in the agency is setting you up as a fall guy for his own misdealings.† The proposition seemed to give Harper pause. Gabrielle checked her watch. â€Å"The senator's deal is on the table for an hour. You can save yourself by giving him the name of the NASA exec with whom you're embezzling taxpayers' money. He doesn't care about you. He wants the big fish. Obviously the individual in question has some power here at NASA; he or she has managed to keep his or her identity off the paper trail, allowing you to be the fall guy.† Harper shook his head. â€Å"You're lying.† â€Å"Would you like to tell that to a court?† â€Å"Sure. I'll deny the whole thing.† â€Å"Under oath?† Gabrielle grunted in disgust. â€Å"Suppose you'll also deny you lied about fixing the PODS software?† Gabrielle's heart was pounding as she stared straight into the man's eyes. â€Å"Think carefully about your options here, Dr. Harper. American prisons can be most unpleasant.† Harper glared back, and Gabrielle willed him to fold. For a moment she thought she saw a glimmer of surrender, but when Harper spoke, his voice was like steel. â€Å"Ms. Ashe,† he declared, anger simmering in his eyes, â€Å"you are clutching at thin air. You and I both know there is no embezzlement going on at NASA. The only liar in this room is you.† Gabrielle felt her muscles go rigid. The man's gaze was angry and sharp. She wanted to turn and run. You tried to bluff a rocket scientist. What the hell did you expect? She forced herself to hold her head high. â€Å"All I know,† she said, feigning utter confidence and indifference to his position, â€Å"is the incriminating documents I've seen-conclusive evidence that you and another are embezzling NASA funds. The senator simply asked me to come here tonight and offer you the option of giving up your partner instead of facing the inquiry alone. I will tell the senator you prefer to take your chances with a judge. You can tell the court what you told me-you're not embezzling funds and you didn't lie about the PODS software.† She gave a grim smile. â€Å"But after that lame press conference you gave two weeks ago, somehow I doubt it.† Gabrielle spun on her heel and strode across the darkened PODS laboratory. She wondered if maybe she'd be seeing the inside of a p rison instead of Harper. Gabrielle held her head high as she walked off, waiting for Harper to call her back. Silence. She pushed her way through the metal doors and strode out into the hallway, hoping the elevators up here were not key-card operated like the lobby. She'd lost. Despite her best efforts, Harper wasn't biting. Maybe he was telling the truth in his PODS press conference, Gabrielle thought. A crash resounded down the hall as the metal doors behind her burst open. â€Å"Ms. Ashe,† Harper's voice called out. â€Å"I swear I know nothing about any embezzlement. I'm an honest man!† Gabrielle felt her heart skip a beat. She forced herself to keep walking. She gave a casual shrug and called out over her shoulder. â€Å"And yet you lied in your press conference.† Silence. Gabrielle kept moving down the hallway. â€Å"Hold on!† Harper yelled. He came jogging up beside her, his face pale. â€Å"This embezzlement thing,† he said, lowering his voice. â€Å"I think I know who set me up.† Gabrielle stopped dead in her tracks, wondering if she had heard him correctly. She turned as slowly and casually as she could. â€Å"You expect me to believe someone is setting you up?† Harper sighed. â€Å"I swear I know nothing about embezzlement. But if there's evidence against me†¦ â€Å" â€Å"Mounds of it.† Harper sighed. â€Å"Then it's all been planted. To discredit me if need be. And there's only one person who would have done that.† â€Å"Who?† Harper looked her in the eye. â€Å"Lawrence Ekstrom hates me.† Gabrielle was stunned. â€Å"The administrator of NASA?† Harper gave a grim nod. â€Å"He's the one who forced me to lie in that press conference.† 88 Even with the Aurora aircraft's misted-methane propulsion system at half power, the Delta Force was hurtling through the night at three times the speed of sound-over two thousand miles an hour. The repetitive throb of the Pulse Detonation Wave Engines behind them gave the ride a hypnotic rhythm. A hundred feet below, the ocean churned wildly, whipped up by the Aurora's vacuum wake, which sucked fifty-foot rooster tails skyward in long parallel sheets behind the plane. This is the reason the SR-71 Blackbird was retired, Delta-One thought. The Aurora was one of those secret aircraft that nobody was supposed to know existed, but everyone did. Even the Discovery channel had covered Aurora and its testing out at Groom Lake in Nevada. Whether the security leaks had come from the repeated â€Å"skyquakes† heard as far away as Los Angeles, or the unfortunate eyewitness sighting by a North Sea oil-rig driller, or the administrative gaffe that left a description of Aurora in a public copy of the Pentagon budget, nobody would ever know. It hardly mattered. The word was out: The U.S. military had a plane capable of Mach 6 flight, and it was no longer on the drawing board. It was in the skies overhead.

Traffic Information Surveys

Chapter – 4PRELIMINARY SURVEYS AND DATA COLLECTIONIn the chapter 3, we have discussed about the aim and methodological analysis adopted for the work. In this chapter, traffic studies which are to be conducted and the demand of the studies for explicating the indexes of the mobility are briefly explained. The chapter is organized into two parts which consists of, Preliminary studies are conducted for the informations aggregation and the 2nd portion consists of secondary informations aggregation, which is obtained from assorted beginnings.4.1. Traffic SurveiesThe undermentioned preliminary studies were conducted for developing index.Traffic volume count studySpeed and hold surveiesRoad stock list studyOpinion study4.1.1. Traffic volume count studyTraffic volume count studies are conducted to acquire the accurate values and information about the sum of vehicles go throughing through the study country. Need of traffic volume count study: Traffic volume count studies are used to: [ 6 ]Traffic tendencies can be established by mensurating the traffic volume.To find the one-year travel clip in vehicle kilometres for the bing system and based on it economic justification can be provided for new proposals.Highway user costs, grosss can be estimated.In the present survey, classified volume count studies were conducted at the beginning and the finish of the identified stretch Need for Classified volume count study: [ 6 ]Components of Geometric design of main roads such as breadth of lanes, design of inclines, clearances for overhead constructions ; classs etc. are dependent on the categorization of the vehicles and its volume on the route.Pavement deign, design of Bridgess and design of other substructure installations on the route requires informations about classified volume count.Volume to the capacity, normally termed as V/C ratio can be determined merely on the footing of classified volume count.Classified volume count at peak hours throws visible radiation on the lacks of the systemsTo supply justification for the regulative steps such as, one-way streets, routing of traffic, parking installations.Traffic volume informations is really much of import in traffic, deign, planning, operation and research intents. Traffic volume Count Survey is conducted at identified midblock for 8 hours of the twenty-four hours covering both forenoon and eventide extre mum and off-peak hours. Behavior of the study: Manual traffic counts were conducted at the identified midblock of beginning ( Sunkadakatte ) and finish ( K.R.Puram ) of the stretch selected for 8 hours of the twenty-four hours. At each midblock, both directional classified traffic volume count study were conducted for the computation of public presentation indexs. Analysis of the informations: The traffic volume count informations collected from the field is scrutinized and the values are analyzed, where the information is analyzed. The entire volume is converted to Passenger auto units ( PCU ) as per IRC: 106-1990 to find the volume of the route to its capacity given in the codification.Vehicle TypeEquivalent PCU factors- Percentage composing of vehicles type in traffic watercourseFast Vehicles5 %10 % and above1. Two Wheeler motor rhythm / scooter0.50.752. Passenger auto, choice – up new wave1.01.03. Auto-rickshaw1.22.04. Light commercial vehicle1.42.05. Truck or Bus2.23.76. Agricultural Tractor Trailer4.05.0Slow vehicles7. Cycle0.40.58.Cycle jinrikisha1.52.09. Tonga ( Horse drawn vehicles )1.52.010. Hand cart2.03.0Table 4.1: PCU factors for assorted types of vehicles [ 7 ] ( Beginning: Table 1: Recommended PCU factors for assorted types of vehicles on urban roads. IRC: 106-1990 [ 7 ] ) End product of the survey: The obtained PCU/HR for both Peak and off–Peak hours are analyzed and the Volume/Capacity is calculated for the finding of the public presentation index.4.1.2. Speed and hold surveiesTravel velocity is reciprocally relative to go clip. The travel clip survey provides informations for the sum of clip required to track a specified subdivision of route web. These types of informations provide information about velocity, hold informations. Travel clip and hold features are good indexs of the degree of service that is provided and can be used to mensurate the efficiency of the traffic flow. The velocity and hold surveies yields the informations about mean journey clip, mean journey velocity, norm stopped hold, mean running clip, entire stopped hold and mean running velocity along the stretch studied. Need of Speed and hold surveies:Speed and hold surveies can supply information on the sum, location, nature of hold and cause for the hold. Congestion can be evaluated and can be rectified by traffic and other ordinances.Congestion index, Travel clip index are all dependant on the travel clip, which is obtained by the velocity and hold surveies.Behavior of the study: Out of the assorted available methods for transporting out velocity and hold surveies, drifting auto method / Test-Car technique method is used for the current undertaking. Two trial tallies are conducted to find velocity and hold for both peak and off-peak hr of the twenty-four hours. Analysis of the informations: The volume count informations collected from the field is scrutinized and the information is analyzed. The mean journey clip( in proceedingss ) for all the vehicles in the watercourse along the way of flow Q is given by equation 4.1 and 4.2 [ 5 ] = Ttungsten– ( nY/q ) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4.1 Q = ( na+nY) / ( Ta+ Ttungsten) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦..†¦4.2 Where, Q = flow of vehicles along one way of the watercourse. Na= mean figure of vehicles counted in the way of the watercourse when the trial vehicle travels in the opposite way. NY= mean figure of vehicles catching the trial vehicle minus the figure of vehicles overtaken when the trial vehicle is in the way of Q. Ta= mean journey clip, in minute when the trial vehicle is running against the watercourse Q. Ttungsten= mean journey clip, in minute when the trial vehicle is running with the watercourse Q. ( Mention: Highway Engineering, S.K.Khanna and C.E.G.Justo ) [ 5 ] End product of the survey Delaies along the stretch are obtained and the type and ground for the holds are besides obtained.4.1.3. Road Inventory SurveyRoad stock list study is conducted to update the database of the bing route web. Behavior of the study: For the selected stretch, ocular stock list was conducted and the undermentioned stock lists of the installation have been done.Identified subdivision length.Effective route breadth.Presence of median.Quality of siting surfacePresence of intersection installations.Handiness of foot way installations.Parking installations.Identified subdivision lengthTwo test tallies were conducted from Sunkadakatte to K.R.Puram and back, to find the effectual subdivision length between the beginning and finish and it is has been found out to be 26kms.Effective route breadth.Road breadth available for the vehicular motion is calculated for every 250m utilizing tape and is represented as below in the graph. It is classified as route width holding breadth & A ; gt ; 7.5m, breadth & A ; lt ; 7.5m, Width & A ; gt ; 10.5m. Graph indicates that 41 % of the route in the identified stretch has effectual route breadth & A ; gt ; 7.5m, 25 % has less than 7.5m, and 34 % has greater than 10.5m. Figure 4.1: Road width ClassificationPresence of median.Majority of the route which comes under identified subdivision has median, approximately 86 % of the stretch has average and it is absent or removed for approximately 14 % of the subdivision, due to the building of subway and other infrastructural activity. Figure 4.2: Median HandinessQuality of siting surfaceQuality of siting surface is evaluated by Pavement rating [ 8 ] by ocular observations. Following process is followed to measure the quality of siting surface. 5 Pavement like new 4 Many old ages of service life 3 Near to or necessitating Rehabilitation 2 Should hold been rehabilitated in the last twosome of old ages 1 Should hold been rehabilitated many old ages 0 ago Figure 4.3: Quality of siting surface Based on the above process siting quality is evaluated and is found out to be 3.71 for the full stretch.Presence of intersection installations.For the stretch of 26kms there are about 39 signalized intersections.Handiness of foot way installationsRoad stock list surveies are conducted to mensurate the handiness of footpath length and this has installation has been described briefly under Walkability index in chapter 4Parking installationsParking length on the on-street has been carried out to find the On-street parking index. This installation has been described briefly under On-street parking index in chapter 4.4.2. Secondary Data CollectionThe secondary informations required for the survey is collected from the assorted beginnings and informations collected from assorted authorities sections are as follows:Bangalore City Traffic Police.Accident statistics informations is obtained from Bangalore City Traffic Police.Regional Transport Office, Bangalore. ( RTO )Datas about Vehicles en rollment and the growing of vehicles for the decennaries is obtained from RTO, Bangalore.Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation ( BMTC )Datas abut coach fleet size, figure of agendas, figure of riders carried per twenty-four hours is obtained from BMTC, Bangalore.